Feed Your Organization: Avoid Packaged BI. Choose ‘Fresh’ BI Tools!

In a way, choosing a business Intelligence tools is like choosing the right food. In recent years, we have all become more aware of the difference between packaged foods and fresh foods. Today, businesses are becoming more aware of the differences between ‘packaged’ BI tools and self-serve BI tools that provide ‘fresh’ views and data analysis.

To get the most out of food, you must absorb the nutrition. To get the most out of BI tools, you must allow your business users to absorb and analyze the data in a way that supports the rapid pace of business decision-making and market changes.

When the business intelligence tools you provide to your business users are packaged into discrete, filtered, restricted ‘bites’ of data, users cannot enjoy the real fruits of a BI tool. They cannot drill through, analyze, problem solve, or make confident decisions. You wouldn’t want someone dictating what you should eat every day.

Why should you dictate what your users can see, or how they can use data to do their jobs? Imagine giving your business users the freedom to add columns, and drag and drop data to create intuitive reports, as well as share and collaborate – all at the touch of a finger, and in a mobile environment that is suitable for every type of device.

This approach to business intelligence truly supports the self-serve BI trend, with security and user access controls that will ensure appropriate data integrity and privacy, while giving your business users a buffet of choices from which to choose, and the ability to support healthy growth within your organization.

Data and information is great, but if that data is not easily gathered and analyzed; if your business users cannot use their knowledge, skill and expertise to review and analyze data in ways that are meaningful to them, they will not be able to help the enterprise. They will become frustrated and it is unlikely that they will continue to use the BI tools you provide.

An educated consumer will use the information they receive to make the right decision – whether they are buying food for their family, analyzing the safety features of an automobile or analyzing data to do their job. So, throw away those packaged BI tools and avoid the ’empty calories’ of incomplete data analysis. Great self-serve business intelligence tools will provide high nutritional value and ensure that your enterprise can achieve its goals.